With a Revel Yell: The Last Revel Cometh

The Last Revel is, in simple terms, three dudes that play raw Americana/bluegrass and make no apologies for it. They’re set to return to Winona after their November show at Broken World Records for another round this Friday at Ed’s (no name) Bar. They will be joined by local folk dabbling champions Jaybone Bell & Restless Light and Gravy Train. The Last Revel’s hearty stew of traditional folk sensibilities with a pinch of rebellious rock ‘n’ roll approach set them apart from some of their less ambitious ilk. These guys are known for their rollicking live performance and their danceable output, so bring your comfy shoes.

The Last Revel released their first official recording entitled, “The Mason Jar EP” in February of 2013, winning over fans and critics alike. With the release of “UPROOTED”, their 2014 debut full-length, their ship shows no signs of slowing. What the future holds for The Last Revel, only time will tell, but there is a free download in your future if you go to their bandcamp and grab their “Live at The Orpheum Theater: Hancock, Michigan” album.

The Interview Part:

Winona has this great reputation for hosting and supporting a lot of amazing music and I feel that this community has really brought out some of our best performances

You guys seem to be a relatively young group. Do you have musical roots elsewhere?

We’ve all been involved with music from a young age. Garage rock bands and electric guitars were all a common theme in our upbringing. I think we all knew when we found ourselves in this band that it would be worth putting some time and effort into it. It was nice to step away from the amps and drums and try something more elemental.

Were you always a trio and is that where you’ll stay?

The three of us has always been the basic core of this group. The idea of adding a fourth permanent member has definitely been thrown around and I think we’re open to the idea. We’d love to add another instrumental element someday but for now the trio is working well for us.

Do you guys do a lot of grooming in regard to your beards, or is it more of a “let’s just see where this goes” sort of feeling?

Haha, yes, it’s more of a convenience factor for us. The less grooming, the better.

You guys played in Winona at Broken World Records in November and at the 10th anniversary of Boats and Bluegrass back in September. Have you had much time in Winona previous to that?

We were a part of Mid West Music Fest in April of 2014 and that was a blast. We played at the Winona Arts Center. It was a great venue and a very attentive crowd. Winona has this great reputation for hosting and supporting a lot of amazing music and I feel that this community has really brought out some of our best performances.

What are some of your favorite venues to play?

The Filling Station in Bozeman, MT sticks out in my mind as one of the most unique venues we’ve played this year. It almost felt like a barn dance. It’s very eclectic and the crowd was really responsive which definitely gets us fired up. We also love the Orpheum Theater in Hancock, MI and the Minocqua Brewing Company in Minocqua, WI. I’m really excited to play the Majestic Theater in Madison, WI on January 9th. We love to travel and play outside our home turf. Being outside our comfort zone brings out the best music in us.

When’s your next album dropping?

We are just about to finish up tracking our new album at The Terrarium studio in Minneapolis, MN. We’re tentatively shooting for an April/May release date but we’ll be putting some preview tracks online this spring. We love how the new album sounds so far. Over the past year, we’ve hit some really great songwriting strides as a group. The album feels more mature and well thought out.

What was the first revel?

We like to joke that it was the first time this band played a show. Our next show might be our last! The band name, “The Last Revel” came about 2 years after this band formed. We played for about a year under the name “The Bitterroot Band” before being threatened to be sued over the name. We were forced to change, and “The Last Revel” seemed like a good fit. Gear robberies and legal accusations behind us, this was our last hurrah.

Upcoming Local Gigs:

A walking contradiction of both great complexity (like the show LOST) and simple pleasures (like MTV's The Grind...does that still exist? The show or MTV, I guess). Because of this strange dichotomy, he's the kind of guy that enjoys a good introspective film, art museum, or avant garde puppet show equally as much as singing "Sister Christian" at karaoke in a seedy dive or finding a place to get half price apps, a good burger, and a decent bloody mary.